Coal-dumping apparatus.



N0. 654,0l9. Patented July l7, I900.

J. M. PHILLIPS & J. J. FLEMING.

COAL DUMPING APPARATUS.- (Application filed Aug. 29, 1899.) (No Model.)

, 0 .7 INZ'ZNTORS W[TNESSIES FFIC.

JOHN M. PHILLIPS AND JOHN J. FLEMING, PITTSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNORS TO SAID JOHN M. PHILLIPS.

COAL-DUMPING APPARATUS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 654,019, dated July 17, 1900.

Application filed August 29, 1899.

To all whom it Wway concern:

Be it known that we, JOHN M PHILLIPS and JOHN J. FLEMING, citizens of the United States, residing at Pittsburg, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvanizu have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Coal-Dum ping Apparatus; and We do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon,which form a part of this specification.

Our invention has relation to coal tipples or dumping apparatus, and has for its object the provision of a coal tipple or dump of novel form and construction adapted to receive a loaded car as it comes from the mine and to automatically tilt and discharge the contents of the car into a chute or screen beneath, the tipple then resuming its horizontal position and the empty car passing over the dumpingspace on crossover rails to the stationary track beyond, Where it is switched onto another track and returned to the mine. In automatically-dumping tipples of this class it has been customary heretofore to provide dropping crossover-rails which were attached at one end to the swinging or tilting platform and at the other end were hinged to or rested on the stationary framework of the tipple structure, so that as the swinging platform dropped down the dropping rails went with it, preserving, however, their alinement with the rails on the tilting platform and the stationary rails beyond. The dropping rails being thus always maintained in position below the end of the car were to some extent in the way of the falling coal, and it would frequently happen that lumps of coal striking the dropping rails would,instead of falling into the chute or screen, fall over the outside of the dropping-rails and onto the ground below. We dispense with dropping rails and provide crossover-rails of novel form which upon the dropping of the tilting platform are by mechanism hereinafter described automatically swung entirely out of the path of the falling coal and which automatically resume their position in alinement with the rails of Serial No. 728,903. No model.)

the tilting platform as soon as the latter has resumed its horizontal position.

' Our invention consists in the novel construction, combination, and arrangement of parts hereinafter described and claimed.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a plan view of a tilting tipple constructed according to our invention. Fig. 2 is a vertical longitudinal sectional view of the same, and Fig. 3 a transverse sectional View on the line a: at of Fig. 1.

A designates the timber of the tipple structure upon which the tilting platform is mounted, and B plates or blocks which serve as rocker-bearing surfaces upon which rest and rock the rockers O, which serve as the fulcrum of the tilting platform or tipple.

D designates the body of the tilting tipple, and E E the rails upon which the cars run.

F F designate the horns or car-stops,

which meet the wheels of the car when it has" run onto the tilting platform and arrest its motion, these horns or car-stops being secured to rock-shafts G, which are caused to'75 rock and move the horns out of the way of the wheels of the car by mechanism under the control of the tipple operator.

So much of the tipple as has been above de scribed is well known and extensively used, and we will now describe the novel features of our invention, which are embodied in the crossover-rails that constitute a continuation of the track from the tilting tipple to the stationary track beyond the same.

Beyond the timber A and in substantial alinement therewith heavy timbers H are ar ranged, being a part of the tipple structure, and upon the inner sides of the timbers H are journaled rocking shafts I I, beingjournaled in eyes it, formed on the ends of straps K, that are securely bolted to the timbers H.

L L designate the crossover-rails. These rails when in their normal position of alinement with the rails of the tilting platform rest at one end upon a bar M, fixed on the said tilting platform, and at their other ends rest upon a cross-beam N of the tipple structure. The rails L L are connected by rigid arms 0 O with the rock-shafts I I, so that as the rock-shafts turn or rock the rails L L will swing outwardly on the arms 0 0 until they are entirely out of the way of the coal which falls from the car.

The mechanism'for'producing the rocking motion of the rock-shafts I I and the consequent lateral motion of the rails L L can be readily seen and understood by an inspection of Fig. 3 of the drawings, wherein the parts are shown in their normal position in full lines and in the position which they assume when the platform is tilted in dotted lines. The rock-shafts I I extend beyond the inner ends of the crossover-rails L L and alongside the tilting platform D and are provided with curved bearing-plates P P, with which contact rollers It R, secured in suitable bearings on the bottom of the tilting platform D.

The rock-shafts I I are provided with hangers S8, to which are attached springs T T, the purpose of which is to return the rockshafts and the crossover-rails to their normal position after the tilting platform has assumed its horizontal position.

Operation: When a loaded car runs onto .the tilting platform, it is stopped by the horns or stops F in such position relatively to the rockers O that the weight of the car and its load will overbalance the tilting platform, which is allowed to tilt by releasing a brake that works against acurved depending sector U at the rear end of the tilting platform.

,As the tilting platform tilts, the rollers R R,

bearing against the curved pieces P P, rock the shafts I I and swing the rails outwardly until they have assumed the position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 3 of the drawingsthat is to say, to each side of and entirely away from the space through which the coal falls from the car to the chute or screen. When the coal has been dumped upon the chute or screen, the tilting platform, being weighted at its rear end, resumes a horizontal position, and as its forward end rises the crossoverrails swing back into their former position in alinement with the rails of the tilting platform, being assisted in their inward movement by the action of the spring T. The

horns or stops F, being now moved out of alinement with the wheels of the car, the latter is run over the crossover-rails L L and onto the stationary track beyond,from whence it is switched onto a parallel track and taken back to the mine.

Having described our invention,we claim- 1. In an apparatus for dumping the contents of cars the combination with a tilting platform or tipple of crossover-rails and mechanism operated by the tilting platform for moving said crossover-rails laterally throughout their entire lengths while the rails are maintained parallel substantially as described.

2. In a dumping apparatus the combination with a tilting track-section of crossover-rails, rock-shafts to which said rails are secured and mechanism substantially as described for rocking said shafts and moving the crossover-rails laterally out of alinement with the rails of the tilting track-section when the latter is tilted substantially as described.

3. Inadumpingapparatusthe combination with a tilting platform or track-section of crossoverrails, rookshafts to which said crossover-rails are attached and curved sectors projecting from said rock shafts and adapted to contact with the tilting track-section or platform and turn the rock-shafts substantially as described.

4. Inadumping apparatus,the combination with a tilting track-section, having rollers on each side of crossover-rails, rock-shafts having lateral arms to which said rails are attached, curved sectors attached to said rockshafts and arranged to contact with the rollers on the tilting track-section when the latter is tilted, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof we have aflixed our signatures in presence of two witnesses.

JOHN M. PHILLIPS.

JOHN J. FLEMING. Witnesses:

JOHN E. BEITLER, M. GRIMM. 

